Give or take a few weeks, 2013's midpoint is upon us. After almost six months of new music, it's that time of year when we pause to catch our breath, get our bearings and share our love for the albums that defined the first half of 2013.

For the rest of the year, if we find ourselves loving a new rock album, we'll ask, "But is it as good as Savages' Silence Yourself"? When a dance record arrives that has us feeling particularly euphoric, we'll inevitably compare it to Disclosure's Settle. Every incoming slice of soulful pop is going to find itself stacked up against Laura Mvula's Sing to the Moon.